Rangers Tied To New Name in New Mock Draft
Much of the anticipation around the Texas Rangers picking second overall in this summer's First-Year Player Draft has involved the same three names:
Vanderbilt ace Kumar Rocker, his rotation accomplice Jack Leiter, or Dallas Jesuit's Jordan Lawlar, who may be the premiere position player in this year's class.
However, in their latest mock draft, Baseball America has the Rangers selecting another prep shortstop: Marcelo Mayer out of Eastlake High School in Chula Vista, California.
The reason? Baseball America has the Pittsburgh Pirates selecting Lawlar first overall. Rangers fans might immediately gawk towards either Vanderbilt hurler, but there might be some new information that could lead the Rangers to go with bat in the first round for the fourth straight year.
Multiple sources seem to think that the Rangers would be hard-pressed to let local product Jordan Lawlar get past them if he were available at No. 2, but in this situation he’s not. Instead we have them taking the best prospect on the West Coast in Mayer, who some scouts think is the best overall hitter in the draft. As of today, it sounds like Lawlar and Mayer aren’t getting out of the top three.
Mayer, 18, is coming out of the same San Diego area program that produced former first overall pick and former Rangers prospect Adrián González. BA also says Mayer is "arguably the top defensive shortstop in a class that is deep at the position."
The latest on Rocker and Leiter indicate they might not be as sought after as they were just a month ago. BA has Leiter going fourth overall to Boston and Rocker dropping all the way to Kansas City at No. 7 because "both have raised a few questions in recent weeks."
Now, we are still about seven weeks away from the draft. Leiter and Rocker both have plenty of time to push themselves back up draft boards and any speculation outside of the original three names becomes moot. And it's not like the Rangers aren't doing their homework on the duo from Vanderbilt. Both Jon Daniels and Chris Young have made in-person visits recently to watch both of them pitch.
Nevertheless, it's worth noting that while it was once inconceivable for the Rangers to even consider anyone else other than Rocker, Leiter, or Lawlar, it shows just how much things can change over the course of the high school and college seasons.
Promo photo: Kelly Gavin / Courtesy of the Texas Rangers
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